Anyone observed properly washing their hands was given a $10 Starbucks giftcard, while those who neglected to wash up had their hands dipped in a Petri dish.

According to the article, photographs of the bacteria found on those hands were distributed around the hospital as screensavers to serve as reminders of how many germs are found on hands.

Physicians at Cape Breton Regional Hospital could benefit from a similar program, as most seem to ignore the most basic infection prevention strategy, the article noted.

On Friday, the head of the province''s infection control center expressed that there are issues with all groups in the hospital, but that the doctors can be the hardest to get on the handwashing bandwagon, the article added.